Colorado’s Travis Hunter Wins Heisman Trophy
Travis Hunter, a 21-year-old cornerback and wide receiver from Colorado, has been named the winner of the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious individual honor. Hunter won the award on Saturday night, beating out four other finalists, including Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Hunter received 552 first-place votes, far surpassing Jeanty’s 309 votes. This was the closest Heisman vote since 2009. Hunter’s emotional acceptance speech included a heartfelt thank you to God, saying he never thought he’d be in this position.
Hunter had an incredible season, playing both wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado. He played a whopping 1,380 total snaps, rarely leaving the field. As a wide receiver, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 total touchdowns, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver. As a corner, he had 31 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and four interceptions, anchoring Colorado’s defense.
Hunter also won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, becoming the first player ever to win both the Bednarik and Biletnikoff Awards. He and quarterback Shedeur Sanders led Colorado to a 9-3 record, just missing out on the Big 12 championship game.
Jeanty, who finished second in the voting, had an impressive season himself, running for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns on 344 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He helped lead Boise State to the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, which includes a first-round bye.
